


Maybe This Time

by JustDuckinDont



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Fluff, Light Angst, Past Cheating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-20
Updated: 2017-03-24
Packaged: 2018-10-08 09:37:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10383765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustDuckinDont/pseuds/JustDuckinDont
Summary: It's been a year since Veronica broke it off with Betty and moved back to New York but an unfortunate car accident brings her back to the town by the river.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first contribution to the Beronica fandom.
> 
> I can be found on tumblr at JustDuckinDont

“Ronnie.. Are you sure about this?” Betty whispers in the darkened room. The sky outside growing a darker purple as night falls. Signaling the end of the day and even more as Veronica lays there next to Betty. She knows that if she looks over that she’ll take back everything she’d said. She’ll act like she didn’t mean it. Like she would never mean it and it forces her to not look into blue eyes that blink away tears. “Ronni-”

 

“No. I’m sure.” She forces herself to sit up. The cool air of the room meeting her naked skin as she swings her legs over the side of the bed. “I can’t do this anymore. We.. It isn’t right.”

 

“Give me a chance to-”

 

““I want you to do what’s right, Betty. I  _ need _ you to do what’s right.” Veronica sighs. Setting her barefeet down on the cold hardwood floors. “And what we’re doing isn’t right. Cheating isn’t right. We never should have even started.”

  
  


“We were drunk. You know that.”

 

“And it’s been the same excuse we’ve used for over a year. For every time we fall in this bed together.” The bed shifts behind her. The mattress dipping beneath an added weight and warm breath ghosts over her shoulder as if Betty is about to touch her but stopped herself. “It’s not right. Archie is my friend and he doesn’t deserve his fiance cheating on him with his friend.”

 

Silence follows and the weight behind her disappears. The quiet stretching until she hears Betty let out a short, muted sigh. The sound of moving sheets almost deafening as Betty dresses behind her in the darkness. Footsteps sound like thunder against the floor before they stop.

 

“Are you sure about this, Veronica?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“So.. what happens now? Do we pretend this never happened? Do we go back to just being friends? What do we do?”

 

“I..” Veronica begins. Covering her eyes with her hands. A shaky breath escaping between her lips as her emotions build in her chest. The reality of her decision crashing down like a wave and suddenly she feels so exhausted that she wants nothing more than to sleep for a lifetime. “Go away, Betty.”

 

“I’ll miss you.”

 

“Go.”

 

“Ronnie-”

 

“Go!” She yells. Breath catching in her throat as the first sob breaks free. Tears forming in her brown eyes as Betty’s footsteps fade in the distance. The door to her apartment opening and closing softly. Silence takes over until it breaks with a second sob. Her body hunched over her knees and warm tears stain her thighs but deep down she knew this was for the best. This needed to happen.

 

It still hurt like hell though.

 

* * *

  
  


One Year Later

 

It had only taken a moment for her to fall back in love with New York. The people annoyed her but in the same breath made her fall so deeply in love. The towering buildings were a welcomed barrier from the rest of the world. Her reflection in the glass siding walking beside her on her way to work reminded her of her ability to stand on her own without anyone else. It reminded her that she and she alone could do this. She didn’t need anyone else and had no one else.

 

No one since..

 

She wasn’t important anymore. Her mother never told her anything about Riverdale now and that was by request. She never visited the town by the river anymore and that was by choice. Even when her mother asked her to come just for a few days she would decline. Saying she was busy with work but that was a lie. Work did keep her busy but not busy enough to go home. She would not face the woman who stole her heart ever again. She promised herself that a thousand times the first night in her apartment under New York skies. Miles away from Riverdale and the blonde beauty who still haunted her dreams.

 

“Veronica!” A voice shouts and she looks up sharply at the woman in front of her. All legs and beauty that would take her breath away if she let it. She reminds her of Cheryl in a way. Powerful with a deep rooted anger from years of neglect as a child. An anger she fueled into her walk on the runway. “Are you even listening to me? This is important! We can’t fuck this up! This will be my big break! This will sky rocket me to becoming a Victoria’s Secret girl and I’m not about to let you ruin that for me!”

 

“Right.” She murmurs. She won’t get into it with her today. She needs this job. “Sorry.”

 

“Come on!” The model walks off with a stride of pride that drips with annoyance and Veronica follows. She never thought she’d find herself working backstage at a Ralph Lauren fashion show. Never thought she’d be dealing with a woman who would probably sacrifice her in some off the wall attempt to reach model stardom. Just like she never thought she’d leave Betty behind.

 

“Veronica. Phone call for you.” One of the assistants calls out over the heads of models over the chaos. She won’t answer it though. She has work to do. Has a model to get dressed and deal with but she freezes when the assistant walks over to her. Thrusting a phone in her hand with a grim expression. “It’s about your mom.”

 

“What?”

 

“I’ll deal with Marina.” The girl murmurs. Nudging her away and Veronica lets it happen. Staring down at the phone in her hand before gripping it tighter. Walking off to find a quiet place before she ends up in an empty bathroom. The sounds outside muted by the concrete as she stares at herself in the mirror. Pressing the phone to her ear and praying that she won’t have to go back to Riverdale.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Miss Lodge?”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Your mother’s been in an accident. She’s currently being treated at Riverdale Medical.”

 

“What? I-” She takes a deep breath. Her heart racing in her chest as she clutches the sink with her free hand. Her brown eyes wide in the reflection of the mirror. Panic written there so plainly that it terrifies her further. “How bad is it?”

 

“I would recommend you coming in as soon as you can.”

 

“So it’s bad.”

 

“Yes, Miss Lodge. It’s bad.” The woman on the line responds quietly. “The car she was driving was totalled.. The other person involved was declared dead on the scene. Your mother was quite lucky but now she’s in critical condition. She-”

 

“I’ll be there.” She cuts the woman off. Hanging the phone up and clutching it to her chest. She had sworn she would never go back. Would never risk seeing Betty again but now she had no choice. Her mother needed her and it was time to put away her own selfish reasons to stay away for her.

 

But only her.

 

* * *

  
  


Smithers picks her up at the airport a day later. Freshly fired from her job and for the most part she doesn’t exactly care right now. There is only one thing on her mind and that is getting to her mother. Smithers in the front seat is relatively quiet. The radio off and only the sounds of the car driving into town keep them company. It reminds her of the first time she had driven into town but then she had had her mother beside her. She hadn’t done any of the things she’d done now and hadn’t loved anyone as much as she loved herself.

 

“It’ll do her good to see you again, Miss Lodge.” Smithers begins from the driver’s seat. The man looks much the same as the day she’d left. His nearly white hair a little longer and almost reaching the collar of his suit but the same shine to his brown eyes. “The accident.. I didn’t even know about it until the morning after. I never considered the dangers of her taking a drive alone. Never thought that this would happen.”

 

“Accidents happen, Smithers.” Veronica whispers and Smithers nods in agreement as they pass the sign that welcomes them to Riverdale. “Do you know how she is now?”

 

“Out of surgery but they won’t tell me anything more because I am not family.”

 

“You are our family. Always have and always will be.”

 

“Thank you.” His hands grip the steering wheel a little tighter as they round a bend in the road. The sight of torn trees and bent guard rail passing by but the moment it’s gone she realizes what it was.

 

“That was it, wasn’t it?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“What happened?” She laces her fingers together. Staring at the chipped, black nail polish on her left hand.

 

“She went out for a drive to clear her head as she normally does now. It was a little later in the evening than she normally went but I said nothing of it when she left. Assuming she wouldn’t be out long but then she never returned and I had thought maybe she’d met a friend. Then in the morning the sheriff arrived. I had never seen the man so upset but he was near tears when he stood in the lobby. He told me that she’d come around that corner the same time as another car. The other driver was a kid, maybe your age when you first left and drunk. He was in the wrong lane when they collided. His car pushed hers into the railing..”

 

“Stop.”

 

“I’m sorry, Miss Lodge.”

 

“Don’t be.. I asked.” She falls silent for the rest of the ride. Refusing to look out the window at the passing town but she looks up when Smithers pulls up in the drop off at the hospital. The man climbing out to open her door for her but she stops him before he walks away. Pulling him into a comforting hug. “Go home. Take care of yourself.”

 

“Are you sure? I can park the car and stay if you like.”

 

“I’m sure. I’ll call you if anything changes.” She pulls back and he nods.

 

“Thank you.”

 

She stands there a moment as he walks away. Climbing back into the car and pulling away. She waits as the car disappears behind the building before turning and heading inside. Fear clutching at her chest as she gets her mother’s room number from the receptionist. Fear that builds as she rides the elevator up a floor then walks to critical care. Fear that turns into panic when she stands in front of the open doorway right in front of one of the nurses stations.

 

“Are you Veronica Lodge?” A voice speaks up behind her but she doesn’t face them as she nods. “My name is Nadia West. I was the one who called you. I am your mother’s primary nurse as of right now.”

 

Veronica turns and looks the woman in the eye. Completely unfamiliar but somehow she knows that this woman is good. That she’ll take care of her mother to the best of her abilities. “Tell me what’s been done so far.”

 

“Well..” Nadia begins. Taking a step into the room but she pauses when Veronica doesn't follow. Her brown eyes lit with patient understanding as she nods. “Surgery was a success. The damage done to her liver repaired and she shows good signs of recovery. The surgery for her broken femur will take place once her surgeon has decided that she is well enough to handle it. We set her dislocated shoulder and her nose was broken but repaired by a doctor working emergency the night she came in. She is ultimately very lucky, miss Lodge.”

 

“So she has a good chance?”

 

“A very good chance.” Nadia smiles and Veronica takes a step into the room. The nurse stepping aside to let her pass but Veronica squeezes her eyes shut after taking a glimpse of her mother. The split second sight quickly burned into her memory as she takes a shaky breath. “Chances are she’ll wake soon. Then her breathing tube will be removed but she’ll be kept on oxygen for the time being.”

Veronica opens her eyes again to look at her mother. Heart sinking in her chest at how small she looks in the bed. Her gown somewhat askew from the heart monitor wires. The sound of her ever present heartbeat filling the room and she knows it’s a good sign. That her heart rate is regular and strong but panic still lingers in the pit of her stomach.

 

“I’ll give you some time to sit with her but visiting hours are almost over.”

 

“Okay.” She whispers. Listening as the nurse closes the door behind her until only a sliver of light fills the short, dark hallway. “Oh mom..”

 

She walks quietly to stand at her bedside. Hesitantly laying her hand over her mother’s. Avoiding touching the light scratches that mar her dark, golden skin. Reminders of glass she assumes as she smoothes her thumb over her wrist. Her face seemed mostly unharmed aside from a scratch over her left brow. Her eyes remain closed but she remembers the warmth that always exuded from her dark brown eyes. Eyes that always promised safety no matter what and seeing her now breaks her heart. Seeing her lying motionless in a hospital is never the way she wanted to see her mother. Especially not after a year of being absent.

 

“I’m sorry.. I should have been here.” She wipes tears that threaten to fall with her free hand before leaning over the bed to kiss her forehead. “I’m so sorry.”

 

She stands there for moments that feel like a lifetime. Listening to the beep of her heart monitor. Ignoring the sounds of voices in the hallway outside but she has to look up when the door opens. The same nurse from before entering the room with an apologetic look.

 

“I-”

 

“I have to go, don’t I?” She cuts her off. Letting go of her mother’s hand and taking a step back.

 

“Yes but you can come back in the morning.”

 

“I will.. I’ll come back everyday until she’s out of here.”

 

“She’ll like that.” Nadia motions for her to leave and Veronica obeys but she pauses before leaving. Studying her mother where she still lays until the nurse touches her shoulder. Reminding her that she has to leave now.

 

* * *

  
  


Everything feels like a dream she’s been unwillingly placed in. The town hasn’t changed and neither has her mother’s apartment when she stands in the doorway. Her mother’s shoes left by the door but her keys missing as Veronica stands there. Memories swirling around her as she walks through the living room into her abandoned bedroom. For a moment she thinks she sees Betty laying on the unmade bed but she’s gone when she blinks. Picture frames with her smiling face still sit on the vanity. Layered in dust as if her mother had never decided to clean this room in her absence. The bed is still unmade after the past year but Veronica leaves it like it is. Flicking off the light and closing the door before making her way to her mother’s bedroom. Laying herself down and almost instantly falling asleep amidst the comforting scent of her mother’s lingering perfume.

 

At dawn she wakes to sunlight filtering in through the half covered windows. Still dressed in her clothes from the night before but she sits still on the bed for longer than she probably should. Studying pictures of her father on her mother’s vanity. She doesn’t know if he knows what happened to her but it doesn’t even matter because he’s still in prison. She was on her own with this and considering if her mother made it through would determine her home in New York.

 

“Miss?” She turns her head to find Smithers standing in the doorway. Dressed down in a sweater and slacks. White hair combed to the side and a gentle smile on his lips. “I thought I may visit your mother today.”

 

“You should.”

 

“Shall I wait for you to dress?”

 

“If you don’t mind.” He nods and walks away. Leaving her to sit a minute longer in the warm, golden glow of morning before she stands. The morning reminds her of a memory that she wants to rid of herself. It reminds her of the first morning she’d spent with Betty after she stayed overnight. Wrapped in Veronica’s sheets with the sunlight on her skin. Golden hair almost angelic where it fanned out over her stolen pillow.

 

She shakes her head to rid herself of the memory before closing the door and going through her mother’s closet. Thankful they are nearly the same size as she picks out a dress before taking a shower. A small part of her is nervous about seeing her mother. Nervous that she might wake up with her sitting there and openly question her reasons for staying away as long as she did. It was something she’d never explained and had hoped to never do so.

 

“Are you ready, Miss?” Smithers asks when she steps out half an hour later. Her flats near silent against the floor as she nods. Following him to the car but remaining quiet during the drive to the hospital.

 

“An old friend of yours gave me a call last night regarding you and your mother.” He pipes up in the elevator. “Archie to be specific. You remember him, right?”

 

“I do.” She takes a shaky breath. If Archie was getting curious then Betty may be as well. “What did he say?”

 

“He heard about the accident from another of your friends, Kevin if I recall correctly. He wanted to know if you were home or still in New York. I told him the truth and he seemed rather relieved.”

 

“So I should expect to see him sooner rather than later?”

 

“I would assume so.” The doors open and Veronica leads the way. Glancing at Nadia who sits behind the desk. The woman giving her a warm smile and a friendly wave.

 

“This is her room, Smithers. I’ll give you a moment alone with her.” Veronica tells him. Heading for the nurses station as he heads into the room. “Has anyone else come to see my mother?”

 

“Yes.” The nurse leans over the tall counter. “Archie Andrews and Betty Cooper.”

 

“How long did they-”

 

“Ronnie?” His voice makes her turn and for a moment she’s overjoyed to see him. His red hair still as short but he’s filled out. Seemingly taller too as he pulls her into a hug. Chest vibrating with a soft laugh as he pulls away. “Wow, Ronnie. It’s been a long time. Thought we’d lost you to New York.”

 

‘We’ catches her off guard and she glances behind him to find the girl she’d loved so long ago. Older, wiser and even more beautiful than before. Lips curved into a shy smile and blue eyes lit with caution. Blonde hair pulled back into a single braid down her back. She seems hesitant to step forward and greet Veronica but she moves after Archie gives her a strange look.

 

“Hey, Veronica.”

 

“Betty..” Veronica looks her up and down. Eyes pausing on her ring finger and it confuses her when she finds no ring on it. “It’s been a long time.”

 

“Long enough for you to miss the wedding.”

 

“Oh. Congratulations you two.” It’s forced and she knows it. The look on Betty’s face is a mixture of understanding and something else.

 

“No, Veronica, Valerie and I got married. Not me and Betty.” Archie corrects her and Veronica freezes in confusion. “I know it’s kind of confusing but I promise I’ll explain it later. I’m sure you’d like to see your mom now.”

 

“Yes. I would.” She looks back at Betty. Finding her smiling and fiddling with a keychain that appears from beneath the material of her blue flannel shirt.  “Pop’s later? My treat.” She looks back at Archie as she speaks. “For old times sake.”

 

“Like we’d ever say no to you, Ronnie.” He lays his arm over Betty’s shoulders and she doesn't have the heart to tell him that Betty wasn’t invited. Betty seemed to understand it though and she gives her an apologetic look before letting the man beside her lead her away.

 

“Talk about tension.” The nurse whispers behind her but she ignores it. Making her way into her mother’s room but freezing in the doorway when her brown eyes meet her mother’s. Wide awake and her lips spreading into a wide smile. One arm stretched out for her as Smithers steps back from the bed.

 

“Mija!” Veronica wastes no time in crossing the room to lean over her mother’s bed and hug her as gently as she can manage. Pulling back but her mother grabs her arm tightly. “Let me look at you. It’s been a long time.”

 

“I know, mom.”

 

“Have you lost weight? You look thinner.. And is that mine?” Fingers smooth over the waist of the dress before she nods. “It is. I shouldn’t be surprised. You always did steal from my closet.”

 

“It was close and I didn’t want to make Smithers wait long.” She sits on the lip of the bed. Taking her mother’s hand and squeezing her fingers. “I missed you.”

 

“I missed you too, mija, and I wish it hadn’t come to this for you to come back.”

 

“So do I..” She looks down at her and wishes she had talked to her about it before running away. Wondering if maybe she would have had some advice to give. She wouldn’t have judged her for what she’d done. She had always known about her feelings for Betty and been there through it all. The way she looks at her now look as if she is moments away from asking. “How have you been? What have you been up to? Are you still working for Mr Andrews?”

 

“I am, Archie came by to see how I was and give me a message from his father. He said for me to concentrate on healing. That I would still have my job when I was better.”

 

“Good.” Veronica glances back at Smithers and he stands a little straighter.

 

“I should be going. I have some things to take care of but I can return if you need a ride home, miss Lodge.”

 

“That won’t be necessary. I have a lunch date with Archie at Pop’s and from there I’m sure I can get home.”

 

“I see. Have a lovely day you two.”

 

“You as well, Smithers.” Hermione responds. Waiting until he is gone to finally acknowledge the elephant in the room with her daughter. “Why did you leave? And don’t try to get out of answering. We aren’t on the phone and you can’t pretend to be busy.”

 

“Mom..”

 

“Ronnie.” She replies firmly and Veronica sighs.

 

“Fine. I was sleeping with Betty.”

 

“No surprise there.”

 

“While she was engaged to Archie.”

 

“That’s a surprise.”

 

“For a year.. We went behind Archie’s back for a year, mom. I fell in love with her and one night we got drunk and it just happened. We didn’t mean for it the first time but after that.. We just.. Couldn’t stop. I couldn’t stop but then I did and I broke it off. I ran away to New York and she’s the reason why I haven’t come back until now.”

 

Her mom is quiet for a few minutes. Absentmindedly rubbing Veronica’s palm with her thumb before she nods. “I understand.”

 

“I was a terrible person.”

 

“You were in love, mija. We do stupid things when we’re in love.”

 

“It would have destroyed Archie.”

 

“Probably and honestly it’s something he should never know but you and Betty should still talk. Unless you plan on running away again.”

 

“I don’t know. Before I left I was fired.”

 

“Fired? Why?”

 

“Because Marina Knight was a raging bitch of a model.” She chuckles to herself. “It’s fine though. I’ll be okay.” She reassures. Smiling down at her mother.

 

“You know your room at home is always there for you if you need it.”

 

“I know but I’m twenty-three.”

 

“Doesn’t matter.” She cocks a brow at her with a smirk. “You know I’m going to need some help when I get out of the hospital right? I’m not sure Smithers will be willing to help me as much I’d need either.”

 

“Smithers would cross burning coals barefoot for you.”

 

“But he’s not my daughter.” She pulls on her hand, a pleading look in her eye that makes Veronica seriously consider it but there is a problem. If she stayed then she’d be near Betty a lot more than she may want to be. They hadn’t talked yet and Veronica wasn’t exactly sure if she wanted to talk to Betty. “Consider it? If not then I’ll be fine. I’ll still love you.”

 

“I’ll think about it.”

 

“Thank you, mija.”

 

* * *

  
  


Pop’s is the same. The man himself same as well and he pulls Veronica in for a hug the moment he spots her. Squeezing at her tightly and offering free milkshakes if she sticks around before he sets her down at her favorite booth. Leaving with her order and once he’s gone she looks out the window beside her. Studying the parking lot and she lets out a breath when a familiar car pulls up but it catches in her throat when Betty climbs out.  Blue eyes locking onto Veronica’s through the glass and after a moment Veronica realizes that Betty is alone.

 

The woman is a picture of perfection as she walks up towards the booth. Seemingly a hundred times more comfortable in her skin than she had been before Veronica left. Her smile that much more confident and a spark of attraction blooms in Veronica’s chest when she sits across from her. Hands folded on the table top before she settles in her seat.

 

“Archie couldn’t make it. Val wanted him home.” Betty explains. “We needed to talk anyway.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“B and V back at it again.” Veronica looks up at the new voice. Jumping up out of her seat when she recognizes Jughead. Wrapping him up in a quick hug before drawing back to study him. Still much the same as when she’d left but his ever present hat missing. “Remember me, Ronnie? The boy you left behind when you went off on your wild excursion to New York? When you left us to sow your wild oats.”

 

“Sow my- Shut up, Juggy. I didn’t leave to sow my wild oats. I left to.. Follow a dream.” She beams at him. Settling into her lie easier than she had ever done.

 

“If you say so.” He pushes his hands into the pocket of his apron. “Well you know, when you left to follow your dreams. I began to follow mine.”

 

“Do tell.”

 

“I am now an esteemed chef slash author slash movie enthusiast slash part owner of the drive-in.”

 

“Part? Who's the other half?”

 

“Me.” Betty speaks up and Veronica looks down at her. “We worked for the better part of the year to make enough money to buy it from your mom. Well.. most of it anyway. We’re still paying her off.”

 

“Look at you two. Business owners.”

 

“Add it to my extensive repertoire.”  He smiles at her laugh as she sits back down across from Betty. “I’ll leave you two be. I’ve already got both of your orders impeded in my mind.”

 

“Thanks, Juggy.” Betty nods at him and he walks away. Leaving them alone but Betty simply looks her up and down. Her head slowly cocking to the side before she takes a breath. “Archie and I broke up a few days after you left for New York. I told him the truth. He knows everything but I don’t think he put two and two together about why you left when you did. He just seemed happier because afterward I found out that he and Valerie had been getting closer.”

 

“So he wasn’t mad?”

 

“If he was then he never told me.” Betty sits back in her seat. “I think he was more upset that you just up and left.”

 

“Seems alright now.. And so do you. Getting a little close to Juggy too it seems.”

 

“Jealous? Never pegged you as the type.”

 

“Not jealous. I stopped loving you a long time ago.”

 

“Before or after you ran away?” She replies quietly. A frown tugging at her lips but she smiles suddenly when plates are set before them. Quickly thanking Pops but her smile fades when he leaves. “Look.. Ronnie-”

 

“Don’t call me that.”

 

“Fine. Veronica. We made a mistake back then and it’s been a full year since you left. We never should have done what we did. It wasn’t right. It was very wrong and I see that now. It ruined us but.. If I’m being honest.. I-”

 

“Don’t say it.” Veronica mutters. Refusing to meet her blue eyes because she already knows what she’s going to say. It’s the same thing that she would say and if she hears it then she’ll fall all over again into the blonde beauty. “Don’t.”

 

“Veronica..”

 

“I loved you. I really did but not anymore. I left because I loved you and refused to come back because I still loved you.”

 

“And now? What about now?”

 

“I don’t know now.” She finally looks into her eyes and finds something familiar. The same look she would give her after waking up by her side. The same look she’d give her when they first kissed in high school and the same look she gave her before they first fell into bed together. That look that made her fall in love all those years ago and now it sparks a feeling in her chest that she wished she wouldn’t. “I have my mom to think about now. I have my life to think about.”

 

“I understand but Veronica?”

 

“What?”

 

“Can we start over? I want to be friends with you again. I miss you.”

 

“Betty..”

 

“I understand if it’s too hard for you. I’ll stay away if you want me to while you’re here.”

 

Veronica takes a fry and chews on it for a moment.Thinking about what Betty has told her. She knows she’ll do it. Betty has always been true to her word when it came to Veronica. A part of her wants to be friends with Betty again but she knows what will happen. The spark in her chest will grow back into the blaze it had once been and she won’t be able to leave Riverdale but maybe it wouldn’t be such a problem this time around. Maybe this was her chance to love Betty again. Maybe it was a disaster in disguise.

 

But maybe wasn’t enough to keep Veronica away.

  
“Okay, Betty, friends.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is meant to be moving as fast as it is because if it were slow burn Veronica wouldn't even begin to consider letting Betty be her friend again until chapter 15.

Friends, as it turns out, is not the easiest thing to do. It was a thousand times easier to say aloud than it was to put into action and she feels it as Betty talks animatedly beside her. Her excitement knows no bounds as she seems to have unlocked something inside herself with Veronica’s return. Everything she had always wanted to say to her coming out over the course of days. She started with town drama but had moved on to her classes at a nearby university. Her excitement was exhilarating. It threatened the spark into more than it already was and Veronica didn’t need that. She still had no idea if she would stay or not.

 

“So tell me about New York, Veronica.” Betty cuts into her thoughts suddenly. One hand on the steering wheel and arm lazily resting on the driver’s side door. She had taken the scenic route on the drive to the hospital and the mid fall trees were beautiful. It was almost romantic and she wondered if that was Betty’s intention. “I wanna know everything. Leave nothing out.”

 

“Isn’t much to tell.”

 

“Oh come on. It’s New York. It was your home for a year. There must be something or.. Someone?”

 

“No one.”

 

“At all?”

 

“No.”

 

“Then what were you doing?”

 

“I got a job through a modeling agency and ended up working for someone as her personal assistant. Wasn’t thin enough or pretty enough to be a model myself so.. That was the next best thing.”

 

“Sounds like you were around blind people.”

 

Veronica lets slip a small smile, “anyway. I ended up working for Marina Knight. Aspiring Victoria’s Secret model and a total bitch. Not even a joke. She was really, really just.. Angry. There was a lot going on with her and I think if I had as many problems as she did that I’d be just as angry.”

 

“Least she had you.” She switches hands on the steering wheel and lays her free hand over Veronica’s. “You’re the gift that keeps on giving.”

 

“Trying to make me fall in love with you again, Betty Cooper?” She feels herself slip into the person she used to be around her. The person who played, teased and ultimately loved but instead of it bothering her. It felt good.

 

“Is it working?”

 

“Oh look, we’re here.” Veronica points out as Betty pulls into the parking lot. Flashing Betty an innocent smile as the car comes to a stop in the drop off. “Thanks for the ride. Even if it wasn’t the fastest route.”

 

“Just wanted to spend a little time with you is all.”

 

“I realized that early on.” She studies the depths of her blue eyes for a moment longer than she may have intended before getting out. Rounding the car but pausing by the driver’s side window. “Learn something at school, alright?”

 

“I’ll try. How do you plan on getting back home afterward?”

 

“Might walk.”

 

“Or.. I could come by when I finish with my classes.” Betty hesitantly offers. “There’s like a forty percent chance it might rain.”

 

“Forty..” Veronica narrows her eyes at her before sighing. Unable to resist the almost puppy look Betty gives her. “Forty is too big of a risk. When do you get out?”

 

“Four.”

 

“Just come up when you get here.”

 

“Will do.” Betty smiles and it feels like her heart skips a beat. Warmth spreading through her body and she makes herself take a step back so Betty can drive away.

 

“Damn it.” She mutters to herself before heading inside. Nodding at the receptionist before stepping onto the elevator. Somewhat surprised when she doesn’t spot Nadia at the nurses station before stepping into her mother’s room.

 

“Hey baby.” Her mom greets her. Not looking up as Nadia works at her left side. “Smithers with you?”

 

“No.”

 

“Then how did you get here?”

 

“I flew.”

 

“Funny.” Hermione smiles and Nadia looks away. Either to hide her own smile or seriously needing to look away. “Who brought you. Don’t lie to me.”

 

“A.. friend.”

 

“Archie?”

 

“No.”

 

“Cheryl?”

 

“Busy.”

 

“Josie?”

 

“Also busy.”

 

“Valerie?”

 

“With Archie.”

 

“Kevin?”

 

“He’s out of town.”

 

“Then that only leaves Betty.” She glances up at the nurse then back to Veronica. “Was it Betty?”

 

“Yes, mom, it was Betty. She’s even going to pick me up after her classes today. Does that fulfill your curiosity?”

 

“No.” She lies back against her pillows. A sleepy look in her eyes but she keeps them on Veronica. Studying her intensely. “Are you two friends again?”

 

“Trying.” It's as much the truth as she can give. Today hadn’t been the longest they’d spent together in one sitting but it had been different. She wonders how the rest of her day will go. She had given Betty her new number a day ago and so far she had only received one message from her. “I don’t know what will happen with us yet.”

 

“I like her. She’s a good girl.” Hermione holds out her hand palm up and Veronica takes her hand. Her eyes drifting shut as Nadia on the other side collects her things to leave the room. “Stay, mija. Stay here. Stay home. I need you.”

 

Veronica squeezes at her fingers. She hadn’t made the decision to stay or not yet but her mother’s sleepy plea tugs at her heart. There was nothing even keeping her in New York. No job to go back to. No prospects for a new one. Her apartment she could get rid of easily enough. It wasn’t even that furnished. Putting aside her mission to avoid Betty was null now.

 

There was no reason for her to leave again.

 

“I’ll stay.”

 

The morning passes in near silence. Her mother comfortably asleep beside her. Completely still and only her heart monitor beeping on the opposite side of her bed lets her know that she’s okay. She still looks small in her bed but the nurse says she’s getting better. Her surgeon thinks her next surgery will come sooner rather than later but Veronica has yet to meet them. She studies her mom a moment longer before drawing back her hand. Standing and leaving the room but she pauses in the doorway when her phone vibrates in her purse.

 

_ [11:22 AM] Betty - Hey you _

 

_ [11:22 AM] Veronica - Hey _

 

_ [11:23 AM] Betty - How's momma Lodge? _

 

_ [11:23 AM] Veronica - Sleeping _

 

_ [11:23 AM] Veronica - And momma Lodge? Really? _

 

_ [11:23 AM] Betty - I don’t think she’d appreciate me calling her big Lodge _

 

_ [11:24 AM] Betty - And you wouldn’t like being called little Lodge _

 

_ [11:24 AM] Betty - Right?” _

 

_ [11:24 AM] Veronica - True _

 

_ [11:24 AM] Veronica - But if she’s momma Lodge then what am I? _

 

_ [11:24 AM] Veronica - daughter Lodge? _

 

She looks up from her phone as she walks down the hallway. Ignoring the buzz in her hand when she hits the down button on the elevator.

 

_ [11:24 AM] Betty - You’re just Lodge _

 

_ [11:24 AM] Veronica - So mom gets a cool new nickname but I’m still just Lodge _

 

_ [11:25 AM] Veronica - Are you and my mother in some kind of secret relationship that I need to know about? _

 

_ [11:25 AM] Betty - Damn it. You caught us _

 

_ [11:25 AM] Veronica - I can hear the sarcasm from here _

 

_ [11:25 AM] Betty - Good but in all seriousness I am friends with your mom _

 

_ [11:25 AM] Betty - She had some car trouble a while back and I helped her out _

 

_ [11:25 AM] Veronica - Sounds like the start to cheap porn _

 

_ [11:25 AM] Betty -  She made me dinner once _

 

_ [11:25AM] Veronica - Lucky you _

 

_ [11:26 AM] Betty - It was chicken fettuccine _

 

_ [11:26 AM] Veronica - Again.. Lucky you _

 

She looks up from her phone when the doors open. Stepping on and hitting the one button.  Dropping her phone back into her purse as she walks towards the vending machines. Her earlier breakfast nearly gone but she grabs her phone again when she finds a short line.

 

_ [11:27 AM] Betty - How is she? _

 

_ [11:27 AM] Veronica - Sleeping now _

 

_ [11:27 AM] Veronica - _

 

She stops herself before typing out the rest of what she’d intended to say. She and Betty may be becoming friends again but that doesn’t mean she needs to know what her mom says. They aren’t as close as they used to be and there needs to be privacy if she intends to keep Betty as only a friend.

 

_ [11:28 AM] Veronica - I’m at the vending machines now _

 

_ [11:28 AM] Veronica - Breakfast is gone _

 

_ [11:28 AM] Betty - Juggy would drop you off something from Pop’s you know _

 

_ [11:28 AM] Veronica - Would be kind of rude to be eating fries from Pop’s in front of my mother who is only allowed soft foods and liquids _

 

_ [11:28 AM] Betty - True _

 

_ [11:28 AM] Betty - Dinner tonight then? On me. At Pop’s. _

 

_ [11:28 AM] Betty - Maybe a movie at the drive-in? _

 

_ [11:28 AM] Veronica - That sounds suspiciously like a date _

 

_ [11:29 AM] Betty - It’s not. It’s just between friends _

 

_ [11:29 AM] Betty - Promise _

 

_ [11:29 AM] Veronica - Alright then _

 

* * *

  
  


Hermione is just dozing off again when Betty knocks on the door and announces herself quietly. Taking hesitant steps into the private hospital room. Blonde hair pulled back in it’s usual ponytail and car keys in one hand. Her free hand wrapped around the neck of a small vase filled with white flowers. A get well gift for Hermione.

 

“Cooper.” Hermione begins sleepily. Lifting her uninjured arm to wave her over. “Why am I not surprised.”

 

“You should have known I’d come by again.”

 

“I meant the flowers.” Hermione smiles and Veronica stands as Betty approaches the end of the bed. “Thank you.”

 

“Anything to help you get better, momma Lodge.” She hands the vase over to Veronica. Taking the space she’d vacated to stand by Hermione’s side. Taking her hand gently. “How you feeling today?”

 

“Tired.” She shifts in the bed. Glancing at Veronica once then back up at Betty. “What are your intentions with my daughter?”

 

“Mom.” Veronica warns but Hermione ignores her.

 

“We’re friends. Only friends.” Betty replies, “I missed calling her my friend and that’s all I want now.”

 

“How weird would it be to call you a Lodge, Betty.” She lets slip. Eyes drifting shut as she sighs deeply.

 

“Mom!” Veronica clenches her jaw. “That’s not really an appropriate thing to say.”

 

“Come back tomorrow would you? Both of you.”

 

“Of course.” Betty holds her hand a moment longer as Hermione falls back asleep. Only letting go after several minutes but she freezes when she looks back at Veronica. Eyes widening and she opens her mouth to explain but Veronica holds up her hand. Setting the vase on the window sill then grabbing her phone and purse before leaving the room.

 

“Sounds like you two are closer than you made it seem.” Veronica begins the moment the door to her mother’s room is closed. “Explain.”

 

“I really did help her with her car once but.. We’ve been friends before that.” She begins to walk for the elevator and Veronica follows hesitantly. “After I broke it off with Archie I went to find you but you were gone and only Hermione was there. She-”

 

“Why did you come to find me?” They step onto the elevator and Veronica hits the button for the bottom floor. “What did you think you were going to do?”

 

“Apologize.” She studies the carpet beneath her feet before looking back at up. “What we did was wrong and it was my fault that it even started. I was the one who talked you into having a drink after finals that night. I was the one who kissed you first. I was going to apologize and tell you what I did. I was going to ask that we start over and begin things the right way.”

 

“So you find out that I’ve left and then you do what? What happened next?” They step into the hallway but Betty keeps quiet until they come to the darkening parking lot. Coming to a stop beside Betty’s car under a flickering light.

 

“I never told her what we did. That I was cheating on Archie with you. I told her that I had made a mistake. A mistake I couldn’t really talk about with anybody and she understood. She said it was okay. She let me stay for a few hours and she made me dinner. It was something I really needed. I needed a place to sit and think. I needed a person who understood and wouldn’t push.” She sighs, “I’m sorry.”

 

“No.” Veronica reaches out hesitantly. Completely understanding Betty and Hermione relationship. Everything that Betty had told her was the complete truth about her mom and she was glad that Betty had had someone after she left. Even if it was her mom. “I understand. Mom is pretty good at things like that.”

 

“You’re not mad at me then?”

 

“No, I’m not mad.” She finally lays her hand on Betty’s wrist. “Dinner?”

 

“Please, I’m starving.”

 

“Me too.” She takes the keys from her. “I’ll drive. I’m sure you’re tired from learning all day.”

 

“Thanks. Anxious to see if you still sing songs that come on the radio when you drive.”

 

“Guess you’ll just have to wait and see.” 

 

“I look forward to it.” Betty rounds the car and climbs in once Veronica has unlocked it with the key. Her car so old that it didn’t have a keypad but Veronica didn’t mind it. There was something she liked about having to use a key. There was something more that she liked about driving Betty’s car again. It felt familiar to sit in that seat. The surface cool and it seeps in through the material of her dress.

 

She makes the mistake of glancing into the rearview mirror. Glimpsing the shadows of the backseat and it reminds her of the time they had spent back there. Lipstick smearing kisses and clothes askew from exploring hands. Bruises sucked into her skin only as Betty would have had to return to Archie and she clears her throat when she glances over at Betty.

 

“Ready?” Betty asks. Cocking her head to the side slightly.

 

“Ready.” The key turns in the ignition and it comes to life. Roaring with a strength that Betty seems all too proud of as she smirks in the passenger seat. “Sounds different.”

 

“Sounds amazing.”

 

“You’re such a nerd when it comes to this thing.”

 

“Yeah but you think it’s cute.”

 

True. She’s got her there. It was and still is cute. Kind of like.. No, she won’t say it.

 

* * *

  
  


A noir film is just beginning when they pull into a spot near the middle of the drive-in. The rest of the lot half filled and Betty tells her it’s a slow night because it was Tuesday. Hues of gray scatter across the front hood of Betty’s car. Reflections of the moving playing on the surface as Veronica sits back in the seat. Still full from dinner but a half finished milkshake sits in the cup holder between them. Sweating from the warmth of the car but Veronica is focused on the movie.

 

“Do you remember when this place was closed down and nearly destroyed?” Betty begins quietly. Looking over at Veronica through the shadows but light reflects in her eyes. “It hurt Juggy a lot.”

 

“What got you two into buying it from my mom?”

 

“Well.. He was still living with Archie. Working for the paper and at Pop’s. One day he calls me to meet him at the old lot and I go and I find him sitting in the overgrown grass in front of the old projector screen. He says to me.. What if we bought this place? And I said to him, well what if we did.” She laughs softly to herself. “Then he goes to see your mom and before I know it he’s got both of us combining our savings to buy the place. The rest is history after that.”

 

“You’ve done wonders with it.” She looks over at the concession stand. Quiet now but earlier there had been a line. The small building freshly painted and the grass around it cut short. It looked a lot different from when the southside serpents had made it a point to gather here after being paid by her father.

 

“Thank you but it’s mostly Juggy’s doing. I’ve been a little too busy with school and work.”

 

“Where do you work exactly?”

 

“The school. Weatherbee let me come on to keep running the school paper with a hoard of students working under me. Sometimes I feel like I’m still a student there but being paid reminds me that I’m not.”

 

“I see..” She hums, looking over at Betty before realizing it was a mistake. The girl beside her sits closer to the console between them. Hand resting on the back of Veronica’s seat. Shoulder pressed into her own seat and head leaning against her arm. Adorable despite the darkness. “Hows school then?”

 

“Good. Passing everything. Scholarships make it easier but I still have some to pay.”

 

“And you still bought the drive-in?”

 

“Wasn’t the best idea but it made Juggy happy.”

 

“Understandable.” They sit a moment in the quiet. The film currently at a rather quiet moment but Veronica jumps when the main protagonist fires a gun. She ignores the concerned look that Betty gives her. Completely engulfed by the warmth of her fingers against her shoulders. She clears her throat and Betty’s fingers move away. “So.. you asked me if I had anyone in New York so it’s only fair if I ask about you and someone here.”

 

“No one. I mean, there’s not exactly a whole lot of options in Riverdale.”

 

“True.” She stares at the screen. Trying to ignore the feeling of relief that floods her chest. They were just friends. Plain and simple. She hadn’t decided to stay in Riverdale so she could have a second chance with her. She decided to stay because her mother needed her. Betty being single should do nothing for her but unfortunately it did. The relief she feels isn’t something she can easily ignore. All of her feelings for Betty had been simply buried and never really resolved.

 

She can glances at her only to find her dozing in her seat. Moving when a sound from the speaker on her side is loud enough to rouse her.

 

“Tired?”

 

“Abit.”

 

“I’ll take you home.”

 

“Do you even know where I live?”

 

“I.. no. I don’t.” Veronica admits as she pulls out of the drive-in. Betty in the passenger seat buckling herself in but leaning against the door. Head propped up on her hand and for the most part she gives directions until she goes quiet. Passing out against the door and Veronica sighs. “Always did fall asleep the easiest..”

 

She studies her in the red glow beneath a stoplight. The light reflecting against the paleness of her skin and it only takes Veronica a moment to come to a decision about what to do. It wouldn’t be the first time the two of them had slept in her mother’s apartment. It may be a little more awkward this time but she could handle it. They could both handle it.

 

* * *

  
  


Morning greets her to the smell of coffee and bacon. A soft, constant hum slips in through the crack in the door and it draws her to sit up in the bed. Running a hand through her black hair before standing. Grabbing a robe from the foot of the bed to pull on over her pajamas. The morning feels familiar in all the right ways and for a moment she’s thrown into a severe case of deja vu when she finds Betty standing in the kitchen at the stove. Barefoot and hair down but still in her clothes from the night before.

 

“Good morning.” Smile ever bright and just as brilliant as it had always been as Betty greets her. Blue eyes lit with warmth and the purest of happiness as if she had missed Veronica in a thousand different ways. As if even her wildest dreams were suddenly coming true in that moment. “I hope you don’t mind. There-”

 

“It’s perfect.”

 

“I-”

 

“But you know how I feel about coffee.” Veronica points out but Betty smirks.

 

“Good thing I made tea too.” She moves and hidden behind her was a coffee cup ready for hot water. Set beside stacked plates and Veronica laughs. Leaning against the kitchen counter and studying her in the warmth of the kitchen. A hundred different regrets swarming her thoughts and she knows that if she had the chance to turn back time that she would. That she would go back and make sure she never left because leaving was a mistake.

 

She was still in love with her and she was a fool before for even trying to deny it.

 

“I missed you, Betty.” She admits over the sizzle of bacon and Betty looks down at the pan then back up at Veronica. “I left in the hopes that I would fall out of love with you but that didn’t happen. Years ago I told Archie that I felt like we were meant to be best friends.. It felt like destiny but over time I’ve realized something different. We were meant to be best friends but that’s not it. We were meant to be more than that but the first time wasn’t the right time. We went at it the wrong way and as a result we both ended up getting hurt.”

 

She’s quiet as she stands there. Lips pressed together but after a moment she turns back to the pan. Turning the heat off and setting it aside on a cold burner. Crossing the distance between them slowly but she stops before touching her. Hand extended between them and a certain look of nervousness flashes across her gaze.

 

“Can I kiss you?” Her question comes in the breath of a whisper before she continues. “I mean, I’m happy. So happy that you’ve said that and you are so right about everything you said. We did do it the wrong way and in the end it screwed us up in ways we should have never let happen. And.. I think we are meant to be more than best friends too. We’re destined for more and I just.. Really, really want to kiss you.”

 

“Then kiss me.”

 

She lifts her chin and her skin ignites under Betty’s touch. Her thumb brushing over the edge of her jaw and over her bottom lip as she closes the distance between them. The smell of bacon lingering on her clothes and the bitterness of coffee against her lips but it’s a welcome taste when she finally leans in. The kiss slow and meaningful. The softness of her lips still the same as it had been before but there is something different about this kiss that sets it apart from countless others.

 

It could quite possibly be the freedom that accompanies it. Unstained by the taint of cheating like the kisses before. It could be the curve of her lips into a smile that pulls at her heart and sets a fire across her skin. It could be the thousand dreams suddenly coming true but her thoughts are cut short by a hand on her hip that draws her in closer. The kitchen suddenly that much hotter before Betty pulls back. Wrapping her up in an unexpected but appreciated hug.

 

“I missed you so much.” Betty murmurs against her hair.

 

“I missed you too.” She hesitates before laying her head on her shoulder. Breathing in the scent of bacon, coffee and something uniquely Betty. Her chest swelling with the feeling of home and utter peace. All her troubles drowned out by her warmth and she’s content to stand there forever but Betty draws back too soon. “What’s wrong?”

 

“Absolutely nothing. In fact.. Everything is kind of perfect.” She presses a kiss to her forehead. “But I want to know what happens next.”

 

“Great question. I have no idea.”

 

She smiles as if she has just thought of something and she moves back to the stove. “Go out with me this weekend.”

 

“Are you asking me on a date, Betty Cooper?”

 

“I am.”

 

“You sure work fast.”

 

“Can you blame me? There’s this beautiful woman in front of me that I just kissed and let me tell you. It was the best kiss I’ve ever had. So of course, the first thing I want to do is take you out.”

 

“Trying to make me fall in love with you again?”

 

“Is it working?”

 

“Maybe.” She smiles and Betty returns her smile. Looking over at her shyly before looking back down at the pan.

 

“Just maybe?”

 

“You’ll just have to wait and find out this weekend.”

 

“Can I move it up to tonight?”

 

“No.”

 

She clicks her tongue, “damn.”

  
And in that moment the spark within her chest blossomed into a flame but it was okay. She knew this was right. She knew she couldn’t and wouldn’t have it any other way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We all know that Veronica would fall back in love with Betty in 2.5 seconds anyway.


	3. Chapter 3

“You’re quiet.” Betty murmurs into the shadows and Veronica opens her eyes to stare at the dark ceiling above them. “Is something wrong?”

 

Lying in this bed beside her is a place she’s been in before but this time it’s different. They aren’t naked and sweaty from love but dressed. Betty’s arm lays over her waist and fingers play in her dark hair. The sweet smell of honey clinging to her skin and blonde hair damp from her recent shower. At first she hadn’t been sure about the two of them sleeping in the same bed but so far neither of them had made a move and it felt good to just lay beside her. It was one of the things that she had missed the most.

 

“Nothing is wrong. I’m just thinking.”

 

“Want to talk about it?” Her fingers still and suddenly she’s closer than she had been before. Head on Veronica’s shoulder and warm breath ghosting over her skin in a soft sigh.

 

“I was just thinking about how much I missed this. Missed us and it’s not even the sex that I miss exactly.. It’s just.. Us. I missed us. I missed doing things like this with you. I missed just laying in bed together. Watching a movie. Eating together. I missed everything and a part of me feels like I’ve been thrown back in time to a better time but I haven’t because this is definitely the better time to be in.”

 

“I missed us too.” Betty admits. Fingertips touching the soft skin of her abdomen and drawing slow circles. It’s relaxing and threatens to lure her to sleep but she forces herself to stay awake. Not wanting to miss out on one second of this moment with her. She turns her head but can only make out the vague outline of her nose and lips. Her lips curved into a content smile. “Sleeping beside you always was the best sleep I ever got.”

 

“Me too.” She leans in and kisses the tip of her nose first. Grinning at the softness of her laugh before kissing her cheek. “You know what else I missed?”

 

“What?” Betty turns her head at the kiss pressed to the corner of her mouth. “Is it how ticklish I am when you do this? Because I didn’t miss it.” She giggles despite the kisses.

 

“I missed it.” She lays soft kisses over her skin. In any space she can find. Trailing her fingers up her sides as Betty twists away from her. “It’s my second favorite view of you.”

 

“Veronica!” Betty laughs aloud. Rolling onto her stomach but Veronica follows her. Lacing her fingers through Betty’s and laying her head between her shoulders. “Are you done?”

 

“Yes because I get to lay on you now.” She hums. Rubbing her cheek against her shirt. “I missed this shirt. It’s so soft and it smells so much like you..”

 

“Yeah and I remember it disappeared for almost three weeks once.”

 

“I stole it.”

 

“I figured.” She pulls their fingers up and kisses Veronica’s knuckles. “Stay the night?”

 

“Already planned on it.”

 

“Good because I don’t think I could sleep if you decided to leave.”

 

“Me neither.” She admits. Throwing her leg over Betty’s and hugging her back tighter. She knows Betty doesn’t mind it. Finding more comfort in it than anything else and she seems to almost instantly fall asleep but Veronica remains awake a moment longer. Rubbing her thumb against Betty’s and luring herself to sleep with the smell of honey. The slow drum of Betty’s heartbeat beneath her ear before sleep finally takes over.

 

* * *

  
  


“Good morning.” Veronica grins as she steps into her mother’s room. Hermione wide awake and eyes focused on the tv before she looks over at her. “How you feeling today?”

 

“Awake.” She draws her in for a one armed hug that Veronica readily accepts. “How are you?” She asks but a second later her eyes narrow. “You seem happier. Did something happen?”

 

“Not really. Just a nice day.” It definitely has nothing to do with Betty. Nothing to do with the goodbye kiss they’d shared in her car just minutes before. “Nice and cool outside. Leaves are turning beautifully.”

 

“So it has nothing to do with Betty?”

 

“No. Why would you even think that.” She rolls her eyes. Trying to play it off but she knows she’s failing. The look her mother gives her tells her that she sees through it and she sighs. “Fine. Yes.”

 

“Together?”

 

“Not.. exactly? We’ve spent a lot of time together recently but that’s it.”

 

“I don’t want anything going on in my apartment.” She replies firmly before sitting back against her pillows. “She has her own place anyway.”

 

“I’m aware.”

 

“So you’ve been there?”

 

“Yes.” A few times to be exact. “It’s nice.”

 

“It’s small.”

 

“Only she lives there, mom.”

 

“For now maybe.. Where is she exactly?”

 

“She had to work today but she’ll come by later to see you.” Veronica sits down beside her. “And stop assuming. Just because there is a little something doesn’t mean it’ll become a big something.”

 

“I just want you to be happy, mija.”

 

“I know and I am.”

 

“With Betty?”

 

Veronica sighs. Looking over at her mother and finding her grinning. She had always known her mother was supportive of her. She generally seemed to like any boy or girl that she brought home when she was younger but she seemed so much more supportive of her and Betty. She probably wouldn’t be satisfied until she got a definite answer about it either but Veronica isn’t all that sure herself.

 

“Yes.. I am happy with Betty.”

 

“Good.”

 

“Now will you drop it?”

 

“For now but in a couple of years I’ll be expecting grandkids.”

 

“Mom, please.”

 

“I want at least one named after me.”

 

“Mother.”

 

“Too soon?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Not sorry.”

 

* * *

  
  


The door to her abandoned bedroom has remained closed since the first time she opened it the day she returned to Riverdale. It remains closed now as she studies it. Half hoping that the next time she opens it she won’t find it a mess. Covered in several different reminders of her past. She knows that despite all the good with Betty now that there still remained a darkness that she’d rather forget. They would both like to forget but they both knew they couldn’t because the past was what would help shape their future.

 

She sighs as walks away from the door. Stepping out of her heels and stripping off her dress in her mother’s bedroom. Pulling on a pair of old running shirts and her old riverdale high t-shirt that still fit before returning to the door. The doorknob fits in her hand cold and foreboding before she turns it. The door opening and light from the hallway behind her floods across the floor and onto bedskirts before she flicks the light on.

 

“What I’d give to have Betty with me right now.” However she knows that this is something that she has to do something alone. Betty has had the chance to find peace with what she’d done and now it was her turn to do the same.

 

She starts with the bed first. Stripping off the blankets, sheets and pillow cases. Tossing them into the hallway to be washed later. So far the easiest part. Dust lifting from the material and only the smell of stale air greets her but she pauses when she turns to the vanity. Pictures of Betty smile up at her and she pulls out the wooden seat slowly. Sitting before picking up one of the pictures. Sweeping away dust with her fingers as she recalls where she had taken it. 

 

They had been Vixens then. Well into the football season and that game had been particularly important. The first one after Jason’s killer was caught and put in prison. It was meant to lift the spirits of the people and it had. Even Veronica’s but she was well aware that seeing Betty in her Vixen uniform had a large part in that too.

 

She sets it aside and collects the others. Laying them on the bare mattress before trashing dried out bottles of nail polish and eyeliner. Cleaning out drawers and even finding an old diary that she sets aside for later before dropping to the rug beside her bed. Lowering herself to eye level with the dusty depths beneath before taking a deep breath and beginning to search. Pulling on forgotten socks, a shoebox and a lock box with a combination. The shoebox she recognizes. A pair of boots she’d bought Betty for her birthday but never given to her.

 

The lock box isn’t familiar in the slightest. She’s never seen it before but it’s covered in a fine layer of dust like the shoebox was. She begins with using a set of combinations that her mother often used. Her first thought being that it was hers but she quickly realizes that none of them work. She could ask her about it but she decides against it. Instead a different idea comes to mind and she uses a number of her own. A number she and Betty had once used to lock their phones with back before they started their affair. A combination of their birthdays and her breath catches in her throat when it works.

 

When she opens it she finds dozens of polaroid pictures. Some dated, some not. Most featuring her. She always knew that Betty kept a polaroid camera. A small hobby of hers had been to take pictures of the most beautiful things she saw. She knew that Betty would take pictures of her often and more often than not showed them to her but she never knew she kept them. Most of them were taken during the affair. Some taken in the shadows of the backseat of Betty’s car. Some in this bedroom. A few on the empty football when they broke in to drink stolen whiskey from her mother’s liquor cabinet. One from the very first night of their affair.

 

“Fuck.” She mutters. Getting to her feet with the box and carrying them into the living room. Setting it on the coffee table then grabbing her phone. Finding Betty’s number before hitting the call button and pressing it to her ear. The dial tone going off once before the call is picked up. “Betty?”

 

“Veronica? Is something wrong?”

 

“No. Well.. Not really. It’s just that I found the lock box under my bed.”

 

“Oh.” Betty replies quietly. The silence stretching before she breathes out a sigh. “I didn’t want to get rid of them. It took a lot to try and make myself forget you. I deleted all of your pictures from my phone. Your texts. Those little notes you used to leave me but.. I couldn’t get rid of those polaroids. No matter how many times I tried. No matter how many times I got drunk. I just couldn’t. So I put them under your bed. I-”

 

“You should take new ones.” Veronica blurts out and she can just hear the catch in Betty’s voice on the other side before she laughs lightly. “I’m serious. You still have that camera don’t you?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Then you should take new ones.”

 

“Okay, I’ll take new ones.” She can hear the smile in her voice and she relaxes where she stands. Revealing in the warmth of her voice through the phone. “What are you doing tomorrow?”

 

“We have our date tomorrow, Betty. What do you mean what am I doing tomorrow?”

 

“Because I want to be with you tonight and I know how you are when I stay over.”

 

“Just can’t seem to wake myself up and sleep until noon on you? Yeah, I’m aware. But.. I’m doing nothing besides going to see mom and then my date with you.”

 

“Can I-”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Be there in ten.”

 

“Stay safe.”

 

“Yes ma’am.”

 

* * *

  
  


“Have I ever told you how beautiful you look in my car?” Betty announces on the sidewalk outside of Veronica’s apartment. Polaroid camera in one hand and lock box in the other. “You fit in it so much more than I do.”

 

“Liar.”

 

“Never to you.”

 

“Whatever.” She flips her hair and Betty laughs. Climbing into the car and setting the lockbox on the floor board. Bringing the camera up to snap a quick picture of Veronica in the driver’s seat. Sunglasses low on her nose and dark eyes peering over the top. “The first of many?”

 

“No, I took one of you earlier while you were still asleep.” Betty admits. Pocketing the new picture before pulling out a different one. “Here.”

 

“At least you can’t see how bad my hair is..” Veronica mutters looking at the picture. Most of her head hidden beneath a pillow. “Not exactly the most flattering picture I’ve seen of myself.”

 

“I thought you were gorgeous.”

 

“Flatterer.”

 

“You love it.”

 

“I do.” Veronica leans over and kisses her cheek. “Ready?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Good.” She starts the engine and it comes to life. The sound echoing off buildings as she pulls away from the curb. The town passing by and it’s relatively quiet for a Saturday afternoon. The scenic route on the way to the hospital even quieter. Sunlight filtering through the trees on either side but Veronica pulls over at a small, empty campground.

 

“What are we doing?”

 

“Lockbox.” Veronica grabs it and gets out of the car. Betty following her and stopping beside her at a trash barrel. Mostly empty except for leaves until Veronica drops the entire contents of the box into it. “You said you couldn’t get rid of them.. And I get it. I wouldn’t have been able to either but things are different now. This is a part of our past and the past is exactly where it should be. In the past. These pictures only bring it back and..”

 

“I agree.”

 

“So you don’t mind that I want to burn them?”

 

“No, besides, I’m taking new ones. Remember?”

 

“Yeah.” She hands the lockbox back to her. “Now you can fill this with new ones. Just.. make sure they aren’t nudes. This body is only for you to see.”

 

“I’ve never taken a nude picture of you and would never.”

 

“Just saying.”

 

“Of course.” The new pictures are laid in the box and the lid closed. Lock clicking in place before she sets it underneath her arm. “Got matches?”

 

She pulls them out rather than reply. Striking a match and dropping it into the barrel. The first picture catching before it spreads to the rest. The pictures disappearing in a chasing flame that burns through the countless others. Smoke rising and they take a step back. Watching the smoke curl up and away. The wind scattering their memories to the four corners. Erasing a part of their past that will only have the chance to live on through their words if they gave it the chance.

 

“How do you feel now, Betty?”

 

“Better.” She replies. Reaching out with her free hand to take Veronica’s. “You?”

 

“I feel like a piece of me is gone but not a piece that I wanted to keep. A piece that I wanted to forget and while I know that I won’t.. I’ll at least have nothing to remember it by.”

 

“We’ll replace it with something better.” She squeezes at her fingers before leaning over to kiss her cheek. “Take the box back to the car and I’ll make sure the fire is out.”

 

“Okay.”

 

In the car she watches Betty study the contents of the barrel. Her shoulders rising and falling in a sigh. Hands shoved into the pockets of her jacket and after a moment she realizes that this is an important moment for her. This was a part of the past that she was finally able to let go and Veronica looks away. Giving her the moment to herself but she looks back when she hears boots crunch against loose earth. Betty climbing back into the car with a lazy sort of smile.

 

“Ready?”

 

“Ready.”

 

The rest of the drive is quiet. The radio playing but low as Veronica hums along. Not quite comfortable enough to sing aloud and she’s sure that Betty would appreciate the quiet now. The woman beside her leaning against the passenger door with her eyes on the trees. If Veronica had the chance she’d grab the polaroid camera and take her picture. She would tuck the picture away in her purse for her own safekeeping. Like she is sure that Betty has done with the picture she took earlier.

 

“Riverdale is beautiful this time of year.” Veronica begins without thinking. “The leaves are just changing. Turning red, orange, yellow and brown. It’s my favorite time of the year.”

 

“Oh yeah?”

 

“Yeah.” She remembers coming to Riverdale in the fall all those years ago. Meeting Betty in the diner that first night with Archie. Seeing her again and again as fall stretched into winter but she always remembers those days with her under one of the trees on campus. It had been the start to what would become her falling for the beautiful girl and now years later she was still falling for her.

 

“I like winter.”

 

“Why?”

 

“I love the snow.” She shifts in her seat. “It’s freezing but it’s so pretty. Everything covered in white. It temporarily hides everything and when it’s gone it’s like everything’s been reborn again. I love it.”

 

“Makes sense.”

 

“Last winter was weird without you though..”

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“Don’t be.”

 

“But I am. I left for my own selfish reasons.”

 

“You had every reason in the world and I realize that.”

 

“Still. I’m sorry.”

 

“And you’re forgiven.” Betty grins at her. “Now park so we can go see your mom.”

 

“Yes ma’am.” Veronica laughs with her before finding a spot. Cutting the engine and looking over at Betty before getting out. Reaching out and grabbing her by the front of her jacket then pulling her in. “Can I kiss you?”

 

“You don’t need to ask you know.”

 

“We haven’t gone on our date yet. We’re not dating.”

 

“Be my girlfriend anyway? Then you can kiss me whenever you want.”

 

“Before I know it you’ll be proposing to me.” She teases before leaning in to kiss her. The first kiss light but Betty chases her lips. Fingers lingering on the side of her neck before she draws back.

 

“Is that a yes then?”

 

“Yeah. It’s a yes.”

 

“Good because it’s time to see my future mother in law and I’m not keeping her waiting.”

 

Veronica rolls her eyes but gets out of the car. Tossing Betty her keys.

 

* * *

  
  


“I can’t believe you and Betty are in the same town again.” A voice speaks up behind her and she turns before heading into Pop’s where she was supposed to meet Betty. “Surprising after what happened between you two.”

 

“Cheryl?” The powerhouse of a red head stands there with a hand on her hip. Exuding her bottomless pit of strength and determination. The woman beside her none other than Polly Cooper, Betty’s sister. A toddler between the two of them with a head of fiery red hair. “Polly? What are you two doing here?”

 

“Brought Jason to meet his she-devil of a grandmother.” Cheryl points out. Kneeling to eye level with her nephew. “And he is by the cutest Blossom to have ever been born. Aren’t you, buddy?”

 

“Yes!” He excitedly replies.

 

“Good to see he’s just as selfish as the rest of you.”

 

“He’s not.” Cheryl straightens up. Taking his hand that he stretches out towards her. “He’s the sweetest. The kindest and the brightest.”

 

Veronica kneels in front of him. Unsure if he would even remember her. She had only met him a few times before she left but he studies her through soft, gray eyes before he gives her a toothy grin. Letting go of Polly’s hand to hold out towards her.

 

“Hello, Jason.” She takes his hand gently. “Nice to see you again.”

 

“Hi.”

 

“He’s a little shy but he’ll warm right up to you soon enough.” Polly explains and Veronica looks up at her before straightening up. “Hello again, Veronica.”

 

“Nice to see you again too, Polly.” She studies her and she’s much the same as she’d been before but happier. More color to her cheeks and her brown eyes are brighter. Blonde hair shorter but she suspects that it’s because of Jason. The boy looks like he’d be a ball of energy and he confirms it when he suddenly darts off across the parking lot.

 

“Jason!” Cheryl shouts but he doesn’t stop. The boy running right into the arms of Betty. “Betty Cooper!”

 

“No need to yell.” Veronica sighs, “she’d have kept him safe anyway.”

 

“Doesn’t matter. He shouldn’t be running across parking lots.” Cheryl bites back and Veronica sighs. Letting it go because she gets it. She loves Jason as much as she loved her brother.

 

“Wasn’t expecting to run into the cutest Blossom today.” Betty hugs him and he giggles as they walk over. “Or the other Blossom.”

 

“Other..” Cheryl rolls her eyes. “Nice to see you again too, Betty.”

 

“Wasn’t expecting you three to show up in town tonight. What’s the occasion.” Betty hands Jason over to Cheryl before hugging her sister tightly. “She-devil call you home?”

 

“Yes. Says she’s entitled to seeing Jason at least once a year.” Polly responds. “One day I’m going to have the guts to ignore her calls.”

 

“Then I’d never see my favorite nephew.” Betty points out with a frown.

 

“No, we’d always bring him to see you.. But.. there’s something more important that we need to talk about.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“You two.”

 

“Oh.” Betty backs up to stand beside Veronica. “I get it and..” She glances at her and Veronica nods. Knowing exactly what she wanted to do and she agreed. “We’re dating.”

 

“Oh thank god no more affair.” Cheryl bursts out. “That was tiring to watch.”

 

“What?”

 

“Honestly only Archie seemed oblivious to it.”

 

“Congratulations sis.” Polly beams.

 

“So anyway.” Veronica cuts in. “We have a date. A long awaited date and I’d like to get to it.”

 

“Right.” Betty agrees. “Let’s go babe.”

 

“Call me later, Betty?” Polly calls out as they walk away and Betty gives her a thumbs up. Guiding Veronica to her car.

 

“So..” Veronica begins as they get into Betty’s car. “That was unexpected.”

 

“I’ve not seen Polly or Jason in a while. Was nice to see them again.”

 

“You know if you want to cancel this date that you can right? I’ll understand if you’d rather spend this time with them.” She means what she says and Betty shakes her head with a smile.

 

“No, I can see them again some other time but right now.. I just want to be with you.” She kisses her knuckles as she drives them down the darkened streets of Riverdale. “And I hope you don’t mind but.. I’ve decided that we’ll stay in for this first date. You’ve seen Riverdale. Experienced everything that it has to offer and.. This is new. For both of us.”

 

“Did you cook?”

 

“Uh.. yes. I did.” Betty lets out a nervous laugh. “My first time of this magnitude so give me a chance, please.”

 

“I can’t wait. I’m sure it’ll be wonderful.”

 

“I hope you’re right.”

 

Betty remains quiet as they pull into her driveway. The lights on inside but she unlocks the door before stepping aside for Veronica. The first thing she notes when she steps in is that there are candles lit on the dining room table. The next is the scent. Mouthwatering and tempting. The scent of sausage and an assortment of herbs that makes her stomach rumble with need as Betty locks the door behind them.

 

“It smells amazing in here.”

 

“I was dying of hunger before I left to get you.” She holds out her hand for Veronica’s coat but she pauses when she pulls it off. Jaw dropping somewhat and Veronica is grateful for her decision to wear her best dress tonight. Neckline deep enough to make even herself blush in the mirror. Tight enough to warrant going commando and she feels a thousand times more beautiful in Betty’s presence. She’s even more grateful that they are in a more private setting rather than a restaurant. “Holy..”

 

“Like it?”

 

“Can we skip dinner?”

 

“No.” She smirks. Kissing her on the lips. “You look nice too you know.”

 

“I’m in jeans.”

 

“Doesn’t matter. You always look beautiful.”

 

“I should still change.”

 

“Only if you want to.”

 

“I do.” Betty kisses her before laying her coat over the back of the couch and heading into her bedroom. “Make yourself at home.” She calls out before closing the door to a crack and Veronica nods to herself.

 

She’s already taken the time to explore Betty’s little place so she wanders into the kitchen. Eyeing the covered pot on the stove but she ignores it. Wanting to save her surprise for when Betty served it. She turns when she hears the door behind her open. Betty stepping out in a blue dress that seems to make her eyes that much brighter. The material hugging her hips and despite it being less revealing than Veronica’s it was still breathtaking. 

 

“Woah. Did it just get hotter in here or is it just me.”

 

“I can turn the air up.”

 

Veronica sighs, “Betty..”

 

“I’m teasing. I’m not as oblivious to your advances anymore.” She crosses into the kitchen and takes her in her arms. Kissing her once before tucking a lock of hair behind her hair. “You look stunning.”

 

“So do you.”

 

“Thanks.” She pulls back and motions for Veronica to sit at the dining table. “Sit. Let me serve you.”

 

“Of course, chef.”

 

“Wine?”

 

“Red?”

 

“Always.”

 

“Then please.” Veronica sits in front of one of the plates as Betty opens a bottle of wine. Pouring two glasses before setting one in front of Veronica. “Thank you.”

 

“Hope it’s okay. I’m not exactly making much-”

 

“You could have given me apple juice and I would love it.” She reassures her before taking a small drink. She recognizes the label on the bottle and she knows it’s a little on the cheap side but it’s good. The taste lingering on her tongue as Betty heads back to the stove. Returning with the pot and setting it on the table before removing the lid.

 

“Wow, it’s even prettier since I last looked at it.”

 

“Don’t be selfish. Serve ma’am.”

 

“Right, right.” She obeys and Veronica pauses with the wineglass half way to her lips. Italian sausage and fettuccine with cherry tomatoes set on her plate before Betty sprinkles cheese on top. “Hope it’s okay.”

 

“It looks amazing.”

 

“Hope so. If not we can always order pizza.” She serves herself before sitting. Studying her plate a moment before picking up her fork. “Here we go.”

 

Veronica mirrors her. Taking her first bite and she can’t catch herself before moaning at the flavor. A spark of heat on her tongue from the sausage and the creaminess of slowly melting cheese takes her by surprise. Making her wonder exactly what else Betty has learned to do in her absence as she takes another bite. Letting her eyes drift shut and taking in everything that Betty’s hard work had to offer.

 

“You may have to cook again.. And again.. And again.” Veronica murmurs. Opening her eyes to take in Betty. Smirking at the soft blush that blooms along her cheeks. “You alright?”

 

“I.. yeah. Great.” She smiles, “perfect.”

 

The dinner passes without much else. Small talk mostly but the look in Betty’s gaze says something different. The candlelight flickering in blue depths mesmerizing and Veronica forces herself to look across the room once her plate is clear. Only looking back when Betty takes it from in front of her.

 

“That was lovely, Betty.”

 

“Glad you liked it.” She deposits the dishes into the sink for later as Veronica approaches her from behind. Slipping out of her heels and wrapping her arms around her middle. Shorter as Betty still wore hers but she stepped out of them as she turned in her embrace. “Everything okay?”

 

“Yes. Just tired now.”

 

“Bed? I’ve got something you can wear if you’d like.”

 

“If you don’t mind.”

 

“Come on.” She kisses her forehead and leads her into the bedroom. Pulling out a pair of sweats and a t-shirt that Veronica is pretty sure isn’t Betty’s. The size too large and it hangs to her knees when she stands in the bathroom.

 

“Now I know this shirt isn’t yours.” She begins the moment she steps into the bedroom.

 

“It’s not. I stole it from Archie.” Betty points out in her underwear and tank top. “Bit big on you though.”

 

“Bit? More like a lot.” She smoothes her hand down the front. “If I had underwear I’d just take the sweats off but alas, the things I do for beauty.”

 

“Still could.” She cocks her eyebrow and Veronica ponders it a moment. Taking them off meant the opportunity for more and a big part of her wants to do it. Kissing her was nice and all but she wanted more. It only takes her a moment more to strip them off. “Are you-”

 

“I’m sure.” She slips beneath the sheets and blankets beside Betty. Blinking once Betty has turned the lights off and throwing them into darkness. The sheets rustling before Betty lays her arm over her waist. Curling up to her back warmly.

 

She isn’t sure how long she lays there until Betty begins to draw circles on the back of her hand. Attempting to lure her to sleep but it isn’t working. There are other things on her mind and she remembers the look in Betty’s eyes when they were sat at the dinner table. A certain look of hidden desire and remembering it only builds a warmth in her chest as she turns in Betty’s arms. Slipping a leg between Betty’s and getting herself as close as possible. Cheek pressed to her collarbone before she presses a kiss there to her skin.

 

“Veronica?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“What are you- Oh.” Veronica presses a second kiss to her neck. “Are you sure?”

 

“Are you?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Then kiss me and let’s make up for lost time.” She draws back. Making out her face in the shadows and cupping her cheek.

 

“Tonight won’t be enough.”

 

“Then we’ve got countless more.”

 

* * *

  
  


Sunlight streams through. Laying across loose blonde strands and white pillowcases. Fingers tracing up and down her arm as Betty lays pressed against her back. The heat of her naked body against her bare skin calming and she knows that she could lay there forever in that moment. Breathing in the sweetest of her skin. The bruises that mar her skin long overdue and beautiful.

 

“Veronica?” Betty begins. Nuzzling her neck and pressing a kiss to her skin.

 

“Ronnie.” She corrects and Betty pauses. “Call me Ronnie.”

 

“Ronnie.” Betty whispers. Arms tightening around her middle and squeezing. “Ronnie. Ronnie. Ronnie.” She chants, clearly having missed calling her by her nickname. “Ronnie.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“I love you.” She admits and Veronica turns in her arms to look up at her. Surprised by what she’s said but it’s more about it being spoken aloud than anything else. She’s always know that Betty has loved her. She’s seen it in the things she's done and heard it in the words she'd said. She felt it in her kisses and in the way she touched her now.

  
“I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was nice and pretty easy to write. Came pretty naturally which was a bit surprising considering it's a ship that I haven't written for before. Hope you've all liked reading it as much as I've liked writing it.
> 
> And again, I can be found on tumblr at JustDuckinDont

**Author's Note:**

> I am aware that Betty is a little OC but I like it so I'm keeping it.


End file.
